Typically where a sheet material including a netting material is used in an orchard or vineyard for example, the material is rolled out in lengths onto the ground beneath or between rows of trees or vines, or rows of berry fruit plants, or over rows or trees or vines, and is secured in place.
The sheet material will typically remain in place for some months, before being removed and reused in a subsequent growing season or on another crop in the same growing season.
One method of transporting the material, or of storing the material when not in use, is to roll it onto a cardboard core or a smooth outer surface plastic core. Such cores are often of length up to 6 m long. Because of their length, such cores are cumbersome and difficult to store or transport when not in use or in the transportation from factory or warehouse to the end customer. A further problem associated with long cores is that the length of the core may result in the inefficient utilization of space in shipping containers.
Another problem of cardboard cores, or plastic cores with a smooth outer surface, is a tendency for the core to slip when being rotated against the material, which is a particular problem when the material is machine or mechanically wound onto the core. The fabric is typically taped to the core or manually wound onto the core to overcome this. This manual activity adds extra work that the operator may need to perform.
A further problem may be a difficulty in maintaining the material straight on the core as it is being wound, or rolled thereon, either by hand or machine.
Another issue with cardboard cores, or plastic cores with a simple circular profile in transverse cross-section, is that to gain enough rigidity in the core to hold a load of the material so it can be handled it needs to have a large diameter with thick walls. This adds to the costs of making such a core and generates handling issues with heavier cores.
Another issue is that a core with a simple circular profile core in transverse cross section, when used with a rotating drive means such as a drive shaft attached to a hydraulic motor, may require a locking pin through the core and the drive means to ensure that the power is delivered to enable the material can be wound. Insertion and removal of a locking pin can be time consuming.
An alternative to using a cardboard or plastic core is to simply roll the material into rolls of material without any core. However, such rolls are floppy along their length and therefore difficult to manage, especially when redeploying in a subsequent season. They also do not stack as well as a roll containing a rigid core (for example they cannot be stood on their end), and are therefore more limited in terms of storage options.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved fabric roll up cores for carrying sheet materials, which in at least some embodiments are improved in relation to at least one of the above, or a method for configuring a sheet material for storage or transportation, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.